Felt conditioner for paper machines



w. P. FEENEY FELT CONDITIONER FOR PAPER MACHINES Dec. 29, 1925- Filed Dec. 17, 1924 INVENTOR FEENEY. BYQ;

#WITORNEY mashed so that the Patented Dec. 29, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM P FEENEY, OF CHEIBOYGAN, MICHIGAN.

FELT CONDITIONER FOR PAPER MACHINES.

Application filed December 17, 1924.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM P. FEENEY, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Cheboygan, in the county of Cheboygan and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Felt Conditioners for Paper Machines, of which the following is a full, clear, and

. exact description.

'Among the principal objects which the present invention has in view are: to renew the operating condition of the felts or darriers employed in paper making machines; to avoid the need for washing the felts with the consequent loss of time, and saving in the expense therefor.

Drawings.

Description.

I-Ieretofore, it has been the custom of paper manufacturers to each day wash the felts or carrier belts with which the paper making machine is equipped. This has been done on the supposition that the felts were dirty and therefore in danger of damaging the paper or pulp being carried thereon. This operation has consumed considerable time, care, and consequent expense, which however have been borne on the supposition that it was a necessary evil in the process of manufacture of'paper. I have, however, discovered that what the manufacturers have heretofore considered dirt, has in fact been a clogging of the fibers of the woven belt or felt as it is called.

I have discovered that in the process of manufacture the felts in passing between the rollers for pressing the paper, has been so compressed that the woven fibers are interstices become clogged and filled with the fine dust of the paper and thereafter become impervious and unable to pass any moisture contained in the paper. The direct result of this is that the felt becomes discolored in spots or Serial No. 756,380.

areas in a manner resembling dirt spots. In the process of washing, the fibers have been opened and the felt has been reconditioned or brought back to the condition in which it originally was.

In accordance with the present invention I recondition the carrier or felt, each part passing it when below and in contact with a roller 8. The roller 8 is placed substantially midway between the carrier rollers 9 and 10, with which the paper making machine is provided. The roller 8 is supported in bearings provided in bracket arms 11 at opposite sides of the paper making machine. The arms 11 are permanently mounted on a shaft 12 which has bearings at the opposite side of the paper making machine and upon the side bars 13 thereof. The roller 8 is provided with a multiplicity of globular knobs extended from the surface of the roller 8 and in suitably juxtaposed and staggered relation.

The purpose of the knobs 1 f is to press into the body of the felt or carrier 7 and to sharply bend or spread the fibers at the point where the knobs impinge. lVhen the threads or strands of the felt or carrier are thus opened, any lodgment or flattening of the thread due to the pressure above referred to is eliminated, and the strands will be found stretched to their original rounded shape, so that when the immediate area of the belt affected by any particular knob passes from contact therewith, the threads will be found to be opened, round or in what may be termed a reconditioned condition.

When provided with a reconditioning roller such as the roller 8, the machine will be operated to recondition the felts at any time. This will be done by rocking the shaft 12 to bring the roller 8 in contact with the felt. Pressure is exerted upon the roller to drive the knobs 14 into the body of the felt. To this end a lever 15 is mounted on the shaft 12 and keyed thereto as is best shown in Figure 1 of the drawings. By lifting the lever 15, any desired amount of pressure can be placed upon the roller 8 to stretch and distend the felt between the carrier rolls 9 and 10.

In Figure 1 of the drawings. the broken line indicates the normal position of the felt as stretched between the rolls 9 and 10. The full line indicates the deflected belt or felt. The curved line symbolizing the seetional view of the fabric of the felt shows the effect of the knob 14 with which it is in contact, the lateral and longitudinal stretch of the fabric being thereby indicated.

The distortion of the threads or strand of the felt laterally is best seen in Figure 2 of the drawings where the knobs 14 are indicated as being buried or pressed into the fabric.

WVhenever in the course of operation the felt is found to need reconditioning, this is immediately accomplished by lifting the dog from engagement with the ratchet Wheel 17. This permits the roller 8 to fall to the operation position. The pressure is then placed upon the roller by means: of the lever 15 the machine continuing to run with the felt 7, passing rapidly under the roller 8 results in kneading the fabric of the felt so that the meshes thereof are thoroughly opened, the strands drawn to their natural rounded shape, and the whole belt is reconditioned or placed in the initial condition thereof. When so reconditioned, the roller 8 is raised by depressing the lever 15, and the dog 16 is then thrown to engage vthe teeth of the ratchet Wheel 17 with the result that the roller 8 is maintained idly above and out of engagement with the felt 7 in the position shown by broken lines in Figure 1 of the drawings.

It is obvious that when a reconditioner is constructed. and arranged in accordance with the present disclosure, the need for washing the felt is obviated.

Claims.

1. A felt reconditioner comprising means for separating the strands of the felt embodying knob-like members adapted to be pressed upon the felt.

2. A feltreconditioner comprising aroller having knob-like projections; means for suspending said roller transverse the felt and in juxtaposed relation thereto; and means for at will forcing said roller upon said felt for pressing the knob-like members into the body'of the felt.

3. A felt reconditioner comp-rising a roller having knob-like projections; means for suspending said roller transverse the felt and in juxtaposed relation thereto and means for at Will forcing said roller upon said felt for pressing the knob-like members into the body of the felt, and means embodying a rocking suspension for said roller, and a power mechanism for rocking said suspension.

WILLIAM P. FEENEY. 

